Histories of Plants in Medicine
- Earilest known medical document by Sumerians
- 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia
- Herbal medicines were prevalent in ancient Egypt
- mandrake for pain, garlic for heart
- remedies ‘published’ in Ebers Papyrus
- Ancient Chinese reveal herbal remedies
- Pun-tsao (1600) thousands of herbal remedies
- Aztecs gifted Badianus manuscript to king of Spain
- herbal remedies for 100 afflictions

Ancient Greeks are the Foundation of Western Medicine
- Greek physician, Hippocrates, Father of Medicine
- believed diseases had natural causes
- used various herbal remedies
- works used for 1500 years!
- Dioscorides, Roman military physician, wrote ‘De Materia Medica’
- 600 species of plants with medicinal value
- recorded while on ‘military travel’
- Herbal remedies by Greeks/Romans have been kept and lost
- willow bark tea = precursor to asprin
- Ferula used for contraception but collected to extinction

Age of Herbals: Doctrine of Signatures
- Renaissance age (1500) + printing press created a revival of herbalism
- 4 german ‘Fathers of Botany’
- Gerard, “The herbal of generall hsitory of plantes”
- Publishing included medicinal uses and superstitions
- Culpepper, “The complete herbal” included astrology
- Doctrine of Signatures: herbs resembling various parts of the body can be used to treat ailments of those body parts
- really prevalent during this time
- juice of bloodwort treats blood disorders
- lobed liverwort treats liver complaints




Modern Prescription Drugs

- Herbalism diminished in recent centuries, but remedies still were effective
- remedies became ‘prescriptions’ by physicians
- William Withering, 1975, foxglove for heart failure
- new standard for pharmaceutical industry
- Purifying active extracts from medicinal plants started in 19th century
- morphine from poppy in 1806
- synthetic drugs based on natural products ~1850s
- Salicyclic acid (many plants) synthesized for pain relief
- led to development of aspirin
- 25% of prescriptions today contain plant-derived active ingredients
- research still investigating new active compounds
- e.g. studying ingredients in Native America remedies
Herbal Medicine Today
- Rural populations still rely on herbal medicine
- China, India, S. America & Africa
- projected to reach $1.3 Million by 2023
- Modern Chinese medicine combines herbal, acupuncture & Western medicine
- unique health care from 1 billion people
- thousands of medicinal herbs
- Modern Indian culture believe in traditional medicine
- manufactured pharmaceuticals too expensive
- reliance on indigenous cures
- Rainforests are hubs of medical potential, but are decreasing
- loss of tribal herbal practices

Active Principals in Plants
- Medicine value tied to chemical compounds
- manufactured by biochemical pathways
- Compounds called ‘secondary products’ as they do not directly impact metabolism
- alkaloids, glycosides, terpenes & phenolics
- Herbivore defense, inhibit fungal or bacteria pathogens

Alkaloids and Glycosides
- Alkaloids: diverse compounds found in dicots
- contain nitrogen
- bitter
- impact animal nervous systems
- medicinal, poisonous, hallucinogenic
- caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, morphine, quinine
- Glycosides: widespread compound with glucose
- cyanogenic or cardioactive glycosides, saponins
- steroid molecules as active component
- treat heart value +precursors for sex hormones
- can be very toxic

Medicinal Plants: Foxglove
- Foxglove (digitalis purpurea) bienneial in snapdragon family
- lawn ornamental
- 30 different glycosides
- can be very toxic
- Millions of USA heart patients rely on digitalis as primary treatment
- In 1875, British physician learned of a folk remedy for dropsy
- bloating due to fluid accumulation: congestive heart failure
- digitalis tea became treatment
- slows heart rate, increase strength of heartbeat


Medicinal Plants: Willow to Aspirin
- Willow tree bark used for pain reduction in many cultures
- ancient Greeks and Native Americans
- reduces fever and chills
- Evolution of aspirin began with willow bark experiments in England
- 1828, salicin isolated as active ingredient
- salicin derivatives occur in many species
- BAYER focused on acetylsalicylic acid from Spirea plant
- less digestive issues
- renamed to aspirin

Medicinal Plants: Fever Bark Tree
- Malaria is one of the worlds most prevalent diseases
- 200 million infections each year
- records of malaria date back to ancient Egyptians
- female Anopheles mosquite w/ Plasmodium parasite
- Fever bark tree was first treatment for malaria
- native to east slopes of Andes mtns
- belongs to coffee family
- used by Incas to treat fever, then malaria
- Trade developed for powdered bark
- 2lbs to treat one person
- quinine was isolated before over-exploitation
- now: synthetic cholroquinine

Medicinal Plants: Ephedra
- Ephedrine is a plant alkaloid produced by genu Ephedra
- only one genus in the family of gymnosperms
- native to Americas, Europe, Asia & Africa
- Long cultural history as a herbal medicine
- decongestant and respiratory ailments
- Ephedrine still found in modern drugs
- relaxes bronchial muscles
- CNS stimulant
- Large scale abuse of herbal Ephedra products
- herbal ecstasy, similar to amphetamines
- activates thermogenesis, calorie burning
- supplements illegal, medications ?

Medicinal Plants and Cancer
- Humans have suffered cancer for 1,000s of years
- Ebers Papyrus suggested treatments
- 2nd leading cause of death in US
- Plants have always featured in folk remedies
- search for anticancer plant sources began in 50’s by NCI
- 1,000s of plants have been screened
- several part of chemotherapy treatments
- Vinca alkaloids for leukemia (Madagascar periwinkle)
- Taxol from Pacific yew used in many chemotherapy treatments
- Camptotheca from Chinese happy tree for ovarian cancer

Herbal Remedies: Promises and Problems
- Plants and plant extracts feature prominently in alternative medicines
- considered dietary supplements by FDA
- $7 billion a year industry
- Dietary supplements are not subject to FDA approval
- no rigorous clinical testing
- will only take reactionary actions
- Secondary plant compounds may have health benefits or cause adverse reactions
- 40% of US populations uses alternative medicines
- no clinical linkage to medications
